: Re: When can You Pause the Story and Speak Directly to the Reader? Note: This question was previously about breaking the fourth wall. I discovered that my interpretation of that phrase was wrong.

@Sue2132873

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All of this has led me to conclude that an author can pause the story
and speak directly to the reader, as long as the passages are short,
to the point, and do not overwhelm the story, but add to it.

Is this an accurate conclusion?

I'd say that, yes, it is.

Although with the slight caveat that you should do what works best for the story. It is better to show, not tell. So if you have to tell, then don't do too much of it.

On the other hand, if you feel like you really need to explain something critical to the readers, and you can't come up with a 'natural' feeling way to show the readers, then you'll need a passage of longer exposition to get your point across.

I read a lot of SciFi and this happens often in that genre. You have to explain the technical details of how the magical technology works. With too much exposition, it can begin to feel like you are reading a technical manual from college. Other times, the authors will try to shoehorn the exposition into the story. If done inelegantly, this can be worse: why is the super genius Admiral asking about how basic technology works?

tl;dr While it is better to show than to tell, what's best is what works best for your story.

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